As someone who has lived in Arizona for many years, I am more than accustomed to dealing with searing heat, especially in the summer months. I actually came out here with a buddy of mine Michael Thomas Eckhardt who ended up moving away from Tucson as a result of the unbearable heat which he found here.

I have 3 young kids and during the summer months it is always my number one mission to make sure that I am doing all that I can to protect them from the the harmful rays of the sun, something which can cause terrible damage to children. I refuse to be accused of being a father who did not do enough to prevent the death or illness of my kids so I take this very seriously. I wanted to share with you then some tips on how you can best protect your kids from the searing sun.

Clothing Choices

The clothes which you put your child in should be light enough so that they do not over heat and they should also be able to cover up your child so that they are protected from the sun’s rays. In this situation there is nothing wrong with putting your kids in shorts and t-shirts but just make sure that if you do, you are putting sun cream on them with regularity. One of the most important items of clothing which your child needs is a hat to protect them from the sun’s rays.

Suncream

Let me tell you that you simply cannot put too much sun cream on your children and you should be regularly topping them up throughout the day so that you can give them the protection that they need. I would recommend that you use the highest factor of suncream that you can find for your child and don’t trust the suncream if it says water resistant. I am not saying that the water resistant feature is not true, just that I always feel kids rub off the cream when they are swimming about or playing in water.

Exposure

As much as kids love nothing more than playing outside when the sun is shining, you have to be very careful with how much exposure your kids get, no matter how much suncream you have put on them . For this reason it is important that you carefully monitor their indoor and outdoor time and try to make sure that they stay indoors in the middle of the day when the sun is at its hottest. Even when you are outdoors with your children, try your best to keep them in shaded areas so that they will not be in direct contact with the sun.

You should also be looking to keep fluids up when it comes to your child as dehydration can set in very quickly in children. Be smart, be sensible and keep your kids safe when the sun is shining.